FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, May 22, 2005

Contact: Jill Engstrom
Independence Chamber of Commerce
(620) 331-1890
www.indkschamber.org

Independence , Kan. – On Saturday, June 11, 2005, life as Laura Ingalls Wilder knew it on the Kansas prairie in 1869 will be revisited at the sixth annual Prairie Days Festival. Organizers are pleased to announce the Kids All American Fishing Derby will be included in the day’s events.

The Bullpup Bass Anglers from Caney Valley High School are hosting the Fishing Derby at the pond on the Little House on the Prairie grounds. Every child will be given an opportunity to catch and release a fish of their own. Prizes will be awarded in several categories, including longest fish caught. Participation in the Fishing Derby is free with your paid admission to Prairie Days Festival. The derby will run from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. with 30 minute sessions for participants.

Bullpup Bass Anglers is an organization for high school students interested in the sport of fishing.

Kids All-American Fishing (KAAF) was created to introduce as many young people as possible to the recreation of fishing. KAAF provides kids and families with venues where they can experience the sport while exposing them to character-enriching values to help them be successful in life.

The festival at The Little House on the Prairie site near Independence , Kansas is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and admission is $2.00.

The Little House on the Prairie site is located on U.S. 75 highway, 13 miles southwest of Independence . Watch for highway signs pointing to the historic site.

The Little House on the Prairie is home to a replica of a log cabin used by the Ingalls family depicted in the novel “Little House on the Prairie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The site also is home to a one-room schoolhouse used in Rutland Township , and the old Wayside Post Office also is located on the grounds of the historic site.

The Charles Ingalls family made Rutland Township their home in 1869-71 before moving to Wisconsin and eventually to Minnesota . Laura Ingalls Wilder would use the Kansas prairie and her childhood experiences as the initial setting and storyline of her many novels. Her stories later became a television series.

The Independence Convention and Visitors Bureau, The Little House on the Prairie, and several Independence businesses are sponsoring the event. Prairie Days Festival sponsors include: amazon.com, Coffeyville; Atmos Energy, Independence;  Cessna, Independence; Commerce Bank, Independence;  Val DeFever, Independence; First Federal Savings and Loan, Independence; First National Bank, Independence; Hasselmann’s, Independence; Independence Community College, Independence; Jake’s Hardware, Independence; MATCOR, Independence; Mercy Health System of Kansas, Independence; and Radiant Electric Cooperative, Inc., Fredonia.

For more information on the festival call the Chamber of Commerce at (620) 331-1890 or visit the Little House on the Prairie Web site at www.littlehouseonetheprairie.com.

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